You might be starting your own business. You may be looking into buying a franchise. In both types of businesses, your Unique Value Proposition will play a major role in your future success.
It’s one of the key things you need to create as quickly as possible so you can immediately start trading with your new company.
It’s also vital when you are considering franchise opportunities…
After all, if they can’t quickly convince you to become a customer, why would you want to become a franchisee?
What is a Unique Value Proposition?
A Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is a short marketing statement which persuasively sums up why a customer should use your company rather than your competitors.
It’s also sometimes referred to as a “value proposition” or a “Unique Selling Proposition” or “USP”.
What are the key features of a Unique Selling Proposition?
A good UVP is intuitive. A customer should be able to read and understand it in just a few seconds and get a clear sense of the value your company or product offers them.
It’s all about presenting the what, how and why of your business in a snappy, appealing way:
- What your company stands for
- How you operate
- Why you deserve their custom (rather than your competitors)
What should you avoid?
There are things you should never include in a UVP:
- Vagueness
- Long length (be concise)
- Hype and superlatives
- Jargon and pointless business or industry terms
Value proposition template
A simple value proposition template will consist of:
- A powerful headline.
- The short explanation (either a sub-heading and/or a two-three sentence paragraph, possibly including bullet points).
- An image, product shot or hero shot.
Everything needs to be short, memorable with a clear “you” rather than “I” focus – i.e. concentrating on what your customer gets by using you.
There’s not really a fixed format. No one template is going to be perfect for every type of company.
As long as yours is on-brand for you and specific to your company and what you do, you are off to a good start.
Unique Value Proposition examples
Some brands and franchise owners have really nailed their UVP.
Here are some fantastic Unique Value Proposition examples:
1) Uber
“Tap the app, get a ride”
“Uber is the smartest way to get around. One tap and a car comes directly to you. Your driver knows exactly where to go. And payment is completely cashless.”
Whatever you think of their “gig” economy practices – which have taken a lot of flack in recent years for failing to offer the standard employee protections to their drivers – there’s no denying that Uber has a nearly perfect UVP.
In the headline, the ease of using the ride-sharing service is neatly and catchily encapsulated. In the short explanation, you learn everything you need to know about why you’d want to use the company.
2) Skillshare
“Learn a New Skill Each Day.”
“Learn creative skills in just 15 minutes a day with bite-sized lessons you can fit in anywhere.”
Skillshare has all of their benefits upfront and personal in their UVP too. It tells you, the customer, precisely what you’re getting and why you should use them.
3) Target
“Expect More, Pay Less”
“To School and Beyond: 30% off kids clothes.”
Target are another company which have really managed to get the main benefits of using them – quality and low price – into two very short lines of text.
Where should your UVP feature?
You can and should use your smart, snappy, benefit-led Unique Value Proposition on any consumer touchpoints.
This will include your landing page and in every marketing campaign you run. Everywhere your customer needs to know, quickly and completely, why they should use you.
